


Hearth

by Zephyros22



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Five being sick and Sara taking no crap, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, gender nuetral Five, mute five, stubborn five and stubborner Sara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 23:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4156284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyros22/pseuds/Zephyros22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five wanted to <i>run</i>, despite Maxine's warnings and the rattle in their chest.<br/>They are halfway out their room when a familiar voice stops them.<br/>"And where are you going, Five?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hearth

**Author's Note:**

> Written at 1:00 am and revisited at roughly the same time two days later. Based off familynotblood's drawing on tumblr which can be found at http://zombies-draw.tumblr.com/post/121611133564/familynotblood-because-im-still-sick-and-its  
> Please let me know if you find any typos.

It was probably the rainstorm, Five thought hazily. The rainstorm that had set in so fast and strong that Five was drenched to the bone by the time they made it back from the motor yard. Five knew they were going to be sick before Maxine was done with her routine check-over. It had only taken a day or two before Five had been confined to their bunk with strict instructions to remain off-duty until the fever broke. No running, no jogging, no workout of any kind.

Three days later Five was practically screaming at the monotony of it all. It was the same very day so far. Sam would drop by in the morning and drop off breakfast with a sweet wave and hello; and Maxine would come by in the afternoon with medicine and maybe a book as well. Different runners would drop in periodically, not for the company but to make sure Five was actually _resting_. Despite haven been told not to do so, Five tried to pass the time with crunches, push-ups and the like. Simon had not visited since Five 'accidentally' elbowed him in the face while he wrestled them back into bed. 

Needless to say, Five was not pleased.

Sitting still had never been their forte, especially during the Zombie Apocalypse. Such things required survivors to think fast and be light on their feet. That was a field in which Five excelled. Being confined to a bed with nothing more than a few bent paperbacks and a sketchpad? Not so much. 

Which is why, this evening, Five was determined to get outside.

It was late enough that almost everyone was in bed, save for the guards on the perimeter and the spare few still roaming around the compound. Nobody would be around to see Five sneak over to the track and run a few quick laps.

Quietly, so as not to awake Jody above them, Five managed to grapple their shorts and sneakers on in the darkness. It was still warm enough that they probably didn't need a jacket, but the clammy chill on their skin prompted the thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea, per say.

Jody rolled over in her bunk and Five had to freeze, silently praying that she was still asleep. A languid sigh followed after a few moments of silence, and Five relaxed. Muscles complained with every step Five took towards the door, but the thought of fresh air and a late evening run was much more enticing than the thought of drifting back into restless sleep. The creak of the door was quiet enough that Five didn't pay much attention to it...

...Until a familiar voice stopped them.

"And where are you going, Five?"

Five felt every hair on their neck stand up as they glanced to their left. Sara stood leaning against the wall of the shanty, arms crossed, dark eyes peering at the runner suspiciously.

Five remained still, weighing their options. They could run now, lose Sara after the comms shack and double back to the track, but Sara was faster and could probably already guess their plan. Immobilizing her was never an option under any circumstances either...

Five relaxed, dropping their hands to their sides and turning to face the older runner. They held themselves stiff and coiled, ready to dart away if the chance arose. 

Sara raised a curious eyebrow at their stance. "Five, you and I both know the only place you are going is back to bed." the runner pushed themselves off the wall with a roll of her shoulders before taking a couples steps closer to Five.

Five's hands were a flurry of movements as they tried to defend themselves.

_"I need to stay in shape"_ they signed, followed by _"Can't sit still_

It took Sara a moment to piece together the words. Still, she remained unimpressed. 

"You do realize that exercising in your condition would only worsen your symptoms, right?"

Five's hands flew up to retort, but Sara cut them off before they could continue. "At best, you'd probably only add a few more days to your sick leave, Five."

Five couldn't tell if the flush on their face was due to frustration or the fever. The thought of surrendering and stumbling back to bed was downright shameful. Perhaps if Five caught Sara as she was about to speak they could-

Five made to dart away, and instantly Sara was ready to chase after them. But the sudden movement had caught Five off guard. A sudden wave of dizziness swept over them, and Five had to abruptly brace themselves against the door frame to stay upright.

Sara moved forward to help them, but Five gave her a weak wave. After a few moments, they spared a glance up at the older runner. Her mouth was a taut line, brow wrinkled and eyes steely. She was no pleased in the least.

"Five. Bed. Now."

Five knew that look. That was the look they got as a final warning, with no more strikes and hell to pay if they made the same mistake twice. And as much as they wanted to protest, they couldn't find the heart to say no.

So with a sigh and a resigned nod Five allowed the other runner to help support them and stumbled back to their bunk. The darkness of the room made it difficult to see Sara's face, but Five could already sense the annoyance in her expression. 

Sara eased Five into sitting on the bed. Five went to untie their sneakers, but were swatted away. Deft fingers loosed the knots on each foot before gently slipping the shoes off and setting them to the side. 

"Really, Five." Sara sighed quietly. "The world isn't going to fall to pieces just because you are off duty for a few days. You should know better."

Five bit their lip but did not move to reply. Sara pulled off the socks on Five's feet and set them aside before raising up and pushing Five into bed with a gentleness Five forgot she owned. The pressure of Sara's hands on their shoulders was not an unpleasant feeling, Five realized. They relaxed into the mattress, letting lose a small involuntary sigh of contentment. Sara lingered a few moments longer above Five. Five could make out the outline of her shoulders in the dim light, tense with anticipation. They suddenly became aware of how little space there was between them. Five held their breath, unsure if Sara was going to speak. After a few moments of silence, Five could feel Sara's soft exhale on their face. A hand brushed lightly against their face, and Five relaxed into the touch.

Just as soon as she appeared, Sara was withdrawing and straightening herself. She made to turn away, and Five's heart dropped at the lack of a farewell. Before they could stop themselves, their hand grasped the edge of Sara's jersey. Sara paused, waiting but not turning towards Five. Moments passed, and when it seemed like Sara wouldn't turn back, Five dropped the hem of Sara's shirt. 

But not before reaching for her hand.

Sara relaxed almost immediately. The touch was barely more than Five's fingers ghosting over Sara's palm, but the warmth from Sara's body made Five want to curl into her and press their chilled skin against the other runner. 

Sara closed her hand gently around Five's for just a brief moment. In that moment Five wanted nothing more than to ingrain the feeling of Sara's hand around theirs into their memory. Sara was warm. It reminded Five of a wood stove on a snowy evening. Five wanted to ease closer to Sara, despite the risk of being caught by a flame. Five pressed their hand deeper into Sara's grasp, relishing the warm shiver that ran up their spine. They could feel Sara's pulse with their finger pressed on her wrist. The fluttery beat had Five struggling to keep their eyes open.

"Goodnight, Five." Sara murmured eventually. Five rubbed their thumb across the callous skin of Sara's palm in a silent reply.

The room was dark when Sara left, but her presence seemed to linger behind. Five curled into their sheets and held their hand close to their heart, relishing its warmth.


End file.
